Differential gearing



W. J. SMITH DIFFERENTIAL GEARING Jan. 1,1924 1,479,752

Filed Feb. 1922 i Fig. 1.

l 8 e s I ,...J I E 1' u I, 5 3 L I \r lnvenTof."

William L). Smith Anya Fatented Jan 1, 1924-.

l'l'E- 3T LtlhJSZ DIFFERENTIAL GEARING.

Application filed February 6, 1922.

1 all 107mm it may concern:

Be it lrnown that I, l/VILLIAM J. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Dorehester, county of Suffolk, State of hiassachusetts,have invented an Improve- .ment in Differential Gearing, of which thefollowing description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is aspecification, lilre characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to differential gearing and especially todifierential gearing such as is used in the rear end of automobiles.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved construction forapplying a retarding action to the relative movement of the intermediatebevel gears so as to eliminate danger of one of the rear wheels of theautomobile spinning while the other rear wheel remains stationary.

In order to give an understanding of the invention 1 have illustrated inthe drawings a selected embodiment thereof which will now he describedafter which the novel features will be pointed out in the appendedclaim. 7

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a view of a differential gearing embodying myinven tion.

Fig. 2 is a section on substantially the line 2+2, Fig. 1.

The differential gearing herein shown is of that familiar typecomprising a ring gear which meshes with and is driven by a xriving gear2 on the driving shaft 3, and 'hich has journalled therein a pluralityof side l? rel gears -l that mesh with the two intern .ate geari 5 faston the two rear axle sections 6.

My present invention relates to an inn 1; roved means for applying aretarding action to the rotation of the side bevel gears and l proposeto accomplish this by connecting one or more of the gears with a pistono erating in a cylinder, said piston and cylinder operating in themanner of a dash pot.

In the construction herein shown each of the side bevel gears 4; is faston a shaft 7 which is journalled in bearing in the ring 4 r 1 and whichis provided with the crank portion 8, rissoeiated with each side bevelSerial No. 534,446.

gear 4: is one or more cylinders 9, there being two cylinders for eachside bevel gear in the present embodiment of the invention. Eachcylinder 9 has a piston therein which is connected to the crank portion8 of the corresponding shaft 7 so that the ro tation of the side bevelwill give a reciprocating motion to the corresponding piston.

Each cylinder 9 will preferably be filled with oil' or some other liquidand a leak port is provided around-the piston 10 so as to permit thepiston to reciprocate while retarding its speed of reciprocation. Oneconvenient way of accomplishing this is to provide each piston with aportll through which the liquid may pass as the piston moves from oneend to the other. of the cylinder. Vfhere there are two cylinders andtwo pistons for each side bevel gear I may, if desired, connect the twopistons together by a rod 12 having'a transverse slot 13 therein inwhich the crank 8 operates.

The cylinders may be secured to the bevel gear in any suitable way. Ihave herein shown each cylinder as having a flange l4: thereon whichoverlies the face of the bevel 1 gear and is secured thereto by screwsor bolts 15. I

The ope 'ation of the device will be readily understood from theforegoing. So long as the automobile is moving straight ahead the sidehovel gears will haveno rotative movement about their own axis. If,however, one rear wheel and its axle section 6 rotates faster than theother rear wheel and its axle section then the side bevel gears will begiven a turning movement, whichturning movement will be retarded by theaction of the pistons in the cylinders.

The construction is such as to permit the pistons to move slowly so thatthe operations of the device will not interfere in any way with theturning of the automobile around an ordinary corner, but if for anyreason one rear wheel begins to spin while the other is stationary, theretarding elfect of the pistons in the cylinder will prevent the sidebevel gears 4 from rotating rapidly and will thus substantially preventthe spinning operation by causing the power to be applied to both rearwheels.

While I have herein illustrated a selected embodiment of the invention Ido not wish to be limited to the constructional features containingliquid associated with one of said shown. bevel gears and a portedpiston in said oyl I claim. inder connected to the bevel gear. In adifferentialgearing, the combination In l'estiniony whereof, Ihevesigned my 5WVllil1-fl ring bevel gear, 'of a driving pinion nalneiothis specifieaiion.

therefor, a plurality of side bevel gears roiatably mounted on the ringgear, :1 cylinder WILLIAM J SMITH

